Netherlands urges EU to take tough action on e-cigarettes

In a letter to EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi after the European Commission decided to exclude tobacco-related legislation from its 2025 work program, Dutch Deputy Health Minister Vincent Karremans told the Commission that the decision to delay legislation on novel nicotine products was “harmful.” Karremans urged him to take “decisive” action to protect young people’s health.
 

 

The Dutch government also wants the EU to establish a legal framework for the cross-border distance sales of new tobacco products, arguing that such frameworks allow consumers to circumvent national restrictions. According to European news site Euractiv, the Dutch Health Ministry has urged Brussels to impose “comprehensive restrictions on flavors, maximum nicotine content, and plain packaging” for e-cigarettes and other nicotine products.

 

In 2023, Dutch lawmakers voted in favor of a D66 motion to tax e-cigarettes and vaping products, although officials said this was unlikely to be implemented before 2029. The Netherlands has already banned flavored vape liquids, but the country is still struggling with a surge in youth vaping, with the health minister saying that young people are being attracted by these flavored vaping products.